Knee Board decisions

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of chronic fatigue syndrome, left knee condition, right knee condition, bilateral hearing loss, and left shoulder pain due to the Veteran's withdrawal of these claims.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee conditions have been denied. The current evaluations for the right knee under DC 5260 are 10 percent, while those for the left knee under DCs 5260 and 5261 are noncompensable.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on multiple conditions was dismissed due to the absence of a decision addressing tinnitus. The issues of hypertension, sinus condition, bilateral eye condition, right wrist disability, and bilateral hand, arm, elbow, and shoulder disabilities were withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Veteran's left knee instability is granted at a 30 percent rating, effective from the date of this decision. A separate 10 percent rating for meniscus disability is also granted.

The Veteran's left knee strain and psychiatric disorders (generalized anxiety disorder and depression) are granted service connection.,Service connection for a thoracolumbar disorder is granted as secondary to the service-connected left knee strain. The Veteran's CAD and DM are remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding herbicide exposure in service.,The Veteran's CAD is granted based on conceded in-service toxic exposure risk activities (TERA) and hypertension, while his DM is granted based on TERA and service-connected left knee strain.

The Board has remanded the claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected left knee disability due to inadequate medical opinions and a need for additional evidence.

The Veteran's PTSD, GERD, Right Knee Strain, Back Condition, and Right Shoulder Strain have been granted service connection. The Veteran is now entitled to a 70% disability rating for PTSD.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the claims of erectile dysfunction, left knee disability, right knee disability, tonsillectomy, and uvulectomy. The Board dismissed these issues as a result.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent, and the Board finds that it does not warrant a higher rating.,Right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome are both currently rated at 10 percent. The Veteran seeks increased ratings for these conditions.,Lumbosacral strain is also rated at 10 percent, and the Veteran seeks an increase in this rating.

The Veteran's back spasms are granted as secondary to his service-connected left and right knee conditions, and he is awarded a separate 10 percent rating for instability of the left knee.

The Veteran's left knee strain is found to be secondary to his service-connected degenerative disc disease lumbar spine and right foot paresthesias and pronation.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the rating reductions for lateral instability of the right knee and osteoarthritis of the right knee, so these issues are dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of June 11, 2019, for service connection of right knee disability is granted. The effective date was originally assigned based on the May 2020 VA Form 21-526EZ filing, but the Board found this to be incorrect and ruled that the ITF should have been used instead.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection due to a lack of VA examination prior to the rating decision.

The Veteran's kidney condition, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not service-connected.,The Veteran's bipolar disorder is not service-connected.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection due to a lack of VA examination prior to the rating decision.

The Board has granted service connection for tinea pedis, but the claims of bilateral knee disabilities and left ankle disability are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has dismissed all claims of service connection for various conditions due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Veteran's appeal for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected left knee condition has been dismissed due to an impermissible concurrent election. The issue of service connection for primary hypogonadism as secondary to the Veteran's cervical spine condition is remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type 2 aggravated his peripheral artery disease, which was the direct cause of his above the right knee amputation. As a result, the claim for secondary service connection is granted.